Business Jet Traveler

Basketball fans should circle July 15 on their calendars. That's when the WNBA All-Star game returns to the nation's capital. The game, the eighth in the league's 11-year history, pits some of the best and most popular players of the Eastern Conference against those in the Western Conference.

Aircraft services and systems integrator Emteq has received a contract from Hawker Beechcraft for installation of the New Berlin, Wis. firm's new FAA-certified seat heaters in the Wichita aircraft manufacturer's King Airs. Plans exist to introduce similar seat heaters into Hawker business jets, as well as Beechcraft Baron and Bonanza models, according to Emteq president Jerry Jendusa.

The Federal Communications Commission, still concerned about whether cellphone calls by aircraft passengers would interfere with the ground-based cell system, has dropped a longstanding proposal to relax the current ban. But this may not be the end of the story.

At a dinner party recently, the subject turned to private jets and someone asked, "If you could have any jet, which would you pick?" Someone else blurted out, "an F-16," and everyone laughed. If you think about it, an F-16 might well give you a decided advantage over business rivals, but it would likely also raise a few concerns.

A few years ago, I was surprised to receive a call from an analyst at UBS, the global financial services firm, who asked me general questions about the used-jet market. Since then, this analyst has broadened his research, and he now regularly polls the players in the field, including brokers and dealers.

Few highways have achieved the popularity of U.S. Route 66, which for years led motorists from the frigid winters of Chicago south to St. Louis and then clear across the country to the warm breezes of Los Angeles. As Nat King Cole famously sang, "If you ever plan to motor west, travel my way, the highway that's the best/Get your kicks on Route 66."

Savvy business jet travelers well know and appreciate the speed, security, convenience and time-saving benefits of private air travel. But how can you prolong the experience after you arrive at your destination? Where can you arrange a discreet meeting with the chairman of the company you've been wooing as an investment partner?

What you'll pay for air charter varies not only by aircraft but by region. Here are the average per-hour rates for popular aircraft nationally and in the South Central U.S., now and a year ago. Look for price data for other parts of the country in future issues.

Chances are, you haven't heard of A008, which sounds like a new secret agent. In fact, there's nothing secret about it-but there might as well be, considering how little many business aircraft owners know about its potentially deadly impact.

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Quote/Unquote

““When I made the film The Invention of Lying, they gave me a private jet for getting back and forth between New York and London. I thought, ‘I will never use it’ but I ended up using it every weekend. You turn up, right, and the airport is completely empty. I mean, there’s just someone at the desk and then the pilot, who says, ‘Are you ready to go?’ and you say, ‘Don’t you want to see my passport?’ and he goes, ‘Oh yeah, I suppose I’d better.’”
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